Bahia Magdalena
I am exhausted after a hard day’s work at the office and now I have to write this Daily Expedition Report.
You know, on every trip there is always someone who wants to become a naturalist and sees themselves doing what we do, but they have no idea how boring and difficult this job really is. So I want to describe this day’s work so that all you would-be naturalists can be satisfied with the simple and fascinating life and work that you have at home.
First off, I had to get up early to have a splendid breakfast prepared for me—but had to serve myself—can you imagine? I then spent the day driving small boats around a lagoon in Baja California that is filled with whales. All day long, over and over, watching mother Gray whales tending their calves, adult whales chasing one another, whales spyhopping and breaching—there was no end to it! And then there were the birds: magnificent frigate birds (some males with their red pouches partially expanded), pelicans diving all about, cormorants flying in formation, great blue herons, black-crowned and yellow-crowned night herons, endless tiny, scurrying shore birds, and even a peregrine falcon on a sand dune and a new sighting for this area for all of us aboard—an immature golden eagle. And of course, this evening was taken up with local Mexican music and delicious food brought in from the nearby town of Puerto Lopez Mateos. And on top of this, the sun was shining all day and the air was so darn clear that you could see the mountains 30 miles across the Magdalena Plain. So, as you can readily see, it ain’t easy being a naturalist on a Lindblad ship—work, work, work, work….
I am exhausted after a hard day’s work at the office and now I have to write this Daily Expedition Report.
You know, on every trip there is always someone who wants to become a naturalist and sees themselves doing what we do, but they have no idea how boring and difficult this job really is. So I want to describe this day’s work so that all you would-be naturalists can be satisfied with the simple and fascinating life and work that you have at home.
First off, I had to get up early to have a splendid breakfast prepared for me—but had to serve myself—can you imagine? I then spent the day driving small boats around a lagoon in Baja California that is filled with whales. All day long, over and over, watching mother Gray whales tending their calves, adult whales chasing one another, whales spyhopping and breaching—there was no end to it! And then there were the birds: magnificent frigate birds (some males with their red pouches partially expanded), pelicans diving all about, cormorants flying in formation, great blue herons, black-crowned and yellow-crowned night herons, endless tiny, scurrying shore birds, and even a peregrine falcon on a sand dune and a new sighting for this area for all of us aboard—an immature golden eagle. And of course, this evening was taken up with local Mexican music and delicious food brought in from the nearby town of Puerto Lopez Mateos. And on top of this, the sun was shining all day and the air was so darn clear that you could see the mountains 30 miles across the Magdalena Plain. So, as you can readily see, it ain’t easy being a naturalist on a Lindblad ship—work, work, work, work….
